


fear me (human is a fickle thing)

by jupiterrism



Series: heart upon my sleeve [1]
Category: Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, Gundala (2019)
Genre: Kidnapping, M/M, Not Beta Read, damsel in distress pengkor, kidnapped pengkor, pengkor's children are all menace, pengkor's little assassins, ridwan bahri is his knight in shining armour, this is word splurge and boom suddenly it has a plot and 4.5k words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 19:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20999756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jupiterrism/pseuds/jupiterrism
Summary: Whatever happens between Bapak and Ridwan Bahri, Cantika could only hope they're good for each other.





	fear me (human is a fickle thing)

“Kak.”

Quiet. Only the sound of a page flipped echoes throughout the room.

“Kak Cantika.”

With a sigh - more in exhaustion rather in irritation - Cantika turns her head around to find her sisters, her two peas in a pod, glancing at her with somber eyes. Catching her gaze, Desti and Mutiara exchange glances.

“Udah jam segini. Bapak kok belum pulang?” Desti inquires, eyebrows drawn in a mulish frown. On her side, Mutiara gestures wildly towards the clock attached to the wall.

00.20. Huh, Cantika could feel her eyebrows shot up to her hairlines. She doesn’t feel like she’s been studying for 7 hours.

“Kakak ngga tau,” she heaves a breath, trying for a gentle smile. “Mungkin Bapak ada rapat. Tau ‘kan, kalau Bapak rapat biasanya sampai pagi?”At her words, Desti makes a sad sound and Mutiara looks like a kicked puppy. Against that look, her other siblings might not stand a chance and will probably cave in to their requests. But Cantika has built an immune system against it. _Lethal_, she might say.

“Kenapa kalian jam segini belum tidur?” Cantika snaps her book close and gets to her feet, both arms draped over the younger girls’ shoulders. “Udah malem, besok sekolah, ‘kan?” She tries to sound stern, but judging from the look Desti sends her way, it fails. Mutiara even has the audacity to roll her eyes.

“Kak Adi berisik, masih latihan biola sampai jam segini,” Desti grumbles, looking rather like an angry cat.

“Kak Tanto apalagi. Bukannya tidur, malah mainan besi,” Mutiara adds from where she’s pressed up against Cantika, voice muffled.

Cantika could only laugh at that. No matter how many times she’s talked to Tanto and Adi, they won’t listen. Hell, brats like them would just roll their eyes at her and pay her no attention.

There were ten of them. They used to live in a huge mansion, courtesy to Bapak’s long dead parents and his long, gruelling years as a parliament members. Now that Kak Kamal, Kak Sam, and Swarabatin (he had refused when Cantika called him ‘Kak’) moved out, the rest and Bapak have moved into an apartment, big enough for the eight of them.

They’re good, the ten of them. When Cantika first met the others, she was rather unsure how they would get along. They’re made up of clashing personalities and weird quirks. But Bapak, with his ever-so-present and patient smile guided them. He made them get along. There were arguments, sure, but that was expected from siblings, though adopted.

And Bapak...

After shutting the door to the girls’ room, Cantika withdraws her phone to check whether there’s a message or a missed call from Bapak when she was studying. None. It’s weird, Cantika frowns at her phone. Usually if Bapak is working overtime, he will at least leave a message for Cantika, considering she’s currently the oldest of the bunch.

She debates on calling Bapak, but he never likes it when people call him. Or... Ganda? Cantika doesn’t have his number but Ganda is more of Ghazul’s... man, rather than his father’s. Maybe Bapak will call her first thing in the morning. Cantika nods to herself, already seated on her desk, and flips her text book open.

.&.

Cantika startles awake when something pokes her shoulder. She cracks her eyes open and damn it, she must have fallen asleep while studying. Again. She pushes herself to a sitting position, scrubbing her hands over her face and stifles a yawn. Then promptly freezes.

When she glances up, Adi, Kanigara, and Tanto stand in front of her desk, worry radiating from their figures. She belatedly remembers that Jack is abroad, working on something about his career as a chef. That explains why there are only three frowny faces in front of her, not four.

“Ada apa?” To her surprise, her voice is hoarse, and she brings herself up before heading to the kitchen.

“Kakak ketiduran, jadi Tanto sama aku yang nganter Desti sama Mutiara ke sekolah.” Her wonder boys have followed her to the kitchen, Kanigara’s judgemental voice makes Cantika rolls her eyes at him.

“Bapak belum pulang,” Adi says quietly, staring at Cantika’s turned back. That makes her freeze in her way pouring herself a glass of water. Her eyes dart quickly to the clock. 12.23. With a frown, Cantika turns around to face her brothers.

“Kamu udah coba hubungin Bapak?” She glances over the boys from the rim of her glass, eyebrows drawn into a frown. Tanto nods his head, looking utterly devastated that Bapak rejected his call.

It is unusual for Bapak to reject Tanto’s call. And it is even more unusual for him to pull an overtime until this hour. Even if Bapak stays in his office for a night, everyone will hear him whistling a song at this hour while watering his plants.

She hates this, the prickling worry on her skin, the frowning faces of his siblings. With a nod, Cantika motions Tanto and Adi to come closer.

“Kanigara, kamu tunggu di sini. Nanti kamu yang jemput Desti dan Mutiara. Aku, Tanto, dan Adi mau cari Bapak dulu.”

.&.

It is already 2 in the afternoon so it is safe to pound on someone’s door. Cantika does just that. This person she’s about to ask for help - she knows they can’t trust him. Bapak has warned her - not everyone, even his colleagues, can be trusted. They’re scared of Bapak, the way he limps across the room and his disfigured face. They spread whispers and hushed words, _hateful words_, about Bapak and Cantika will never forgive them for it.

Tanto and Adi are silent behind her, exchanging worried look every so often as they wait for the door to swing open. With a groan, Cantika smacks her fist on the wooden door, banging repeatedly, until the door opens with a click.

Behind the door, stood one rumpled but very alert Ridwan Bahri. His silver hair is all mussed up and Cantika can’t help but snort at the sight of him. She will make money if she could take a picture of him looking like this.

Adi nudges her side pointedly, giving her a narrow look before gesturing towards the man in front of them. The man who’s staring at them with a confused look on his face.

“Selamat pagi, Pak,” Cantika manages from behind gritted teeth, but she’s beaming. Tanto makes a despairing sound - he knows that tone.

Ridwan just stares at her some more, before his eyes dart to Tanto and Adi, who are glaring dagger at him.

“Kalian... anaknya Haedar, ya?” Ridwan says after a moment, thoughtfulness slides to his face. He steps backwards, ushering the three of them in. “Kita ngobrol di dalam saja.”

.&.

Tanto doesn’t know this man. Ridwan Bahri... He’s heard Bapak talking about him, sometimes. He remembers Bapak’s face when he talks about this man - his usually stoic face turns softer and there’s a quirk on his lips that could be mistaken as a smile. Bapak never smiles when he talks about his colleagues. Even when he talks about Ganda and Ghazul - and they both have worked with Bapak longer than Ridwan Bahri.

But this man refers Bapak as ‘Haedar’ instead of the nickname his colleagues favor - ‘Pengkor’. Bapak heeds the nickname no attention, and rather than getting angry, he embraces the nickname. A good gesture of ‘fuck you’, Tanto supposes. His father’s morality is questionable. But one thing that he knows, Bapak is a good person. He’s a good father. It’s a shame that his colleagues never see that.

He watches Ridwan fusses over Cantika and Adi, both of them look as disquieted as him. Tanto can see that they don’t know what to make of his man. It would be easier if Ridwan has insulted Bapak in front of them - Cantika would probably drive her pointy heels into his feet. But the man looks like he... cares about Bapak.

“Saya lihat Haedar tadi malam. Kita ada rapat, sekitar jam 7 malam. Selesai jam 9 malam. Setelah itu, kita kembali ke ruangan masing-masing,” Ridwan pauses for a moment, “saya pulang pukul 11 malam, kurang lebih. Saat saya lewat ruangannya, lampunya masih menyala.”

He suddenly stands up, already reaching for his phone. “Sebentar, coba saya tanyakan asisten saya. Barangkali bapak kalian ketiduran di kantor.” And with that, he waltzes away from them.

“Ngga mungkin Bapak ketiduran di kantor,” Adi says from his right, his face contorted disdainfully as he glares at Ridwan’s back. “Bapak kan ngga bisa tidur di kursi ataupun sofa. Harus di kasur.”

Cantika makes a noise of assent on his left. Her face is somber and she’s staring blankly at her phone. “Kalau Pak Ridwan ngga tau Bapak di mana, kita mau cari ke mana lagi?” Tanto can feel her getting restless, fingers drumming against the glass surface of the table. She looks like she’s on the verge of crying.

Tanto reaches out to lay a hand on her shoulder, giving her a friendly squeeze. Truthfully, he doesn’t like this at all. The dreading feeling is back and it sits heavily like a lead on the bottom of his stomach. Ghazul must know where Bapak is. Before he could suggest calling Ghazul, Ridwan appears, looking worried, if the massive frown on his face is genuine.

“Hasbi bilang bapak kalian ngga ada di kantor.” His eyes dart along the three of them, gauging for their reactions. “Barang-barangnya ada di meja. Handphone, berkas, bahkan jamnya.” Ridwan drags a hand over his face, confusion clear.

“Saya akan coba hubungi Komisaris Polisi, barangkali bapak kalian di kantor polisi.”

Before Tanto can do so much of a protest, Adi surges up, nearly head-butting Ridwan in the process. Maybe that is his goal anyway. His face is a complete picture of rage and Tanto catches the twitch on his left arm, meaning Adi will start throwing hands soon. He gets up as well, trying to tug Adi down but not before Adi hisses, voice wounded.

“Bapak bukan orang jahat! Bapak ngga mungkin masuk kantor polisi!”

On his right, Cantika has stood up as well, her face a mask of rage, carefully concealed, but she already moves to hold Adi. Tanto sends a withering look towards the man, who is now staring at them with surprise and wary tangled in a gaze. If that man implies that his father would do something that lands himself in a police station, it sounds about right if the three of them start to wreck havoc.

.&.

It takes a moment to calm Adi down. He’s still glaring at Ridwan, even as he takes a sip from his cup. Ridwan, the wise man, is seated on the corner of the room, choosing a safe distance between them, lest Adi comes up and tries to head-butt him again.

“Bukan begitu maksud saya.” He sounds tired. Cantika realizes that this man is probably around the same age of his father, maybe several years older. “Kalau bapak kalian, semisal, terkena kecelakaan, pasti polisi akan jadi orang yang pertama tahu.”

“Saya akan coba hubungi Polres sekitar,” Ridwan repeats, glancing at Adi, “dan rumah sakit setempat. Barangkali ada orang yang cocok dengan deskripsi bapak kalian di sana.” And with that, he goes out again, leaving the three of them in stunned silence.

It’s 13.00 already. Cantika can only stare at her brothers, worry gnawing her insides until she feels her lips tremble.

Next to her, Tanto murmurs, “Kak Cantika udah coba hubungin Ghazul?”

“Udah,” she answers, her voice is still hoarse. She takes a moment to gulp down the remaining of her drink. “Tapi dia ngga tau. Ganda juga.”

As if sensing the unspoken hanging in the air, Tanto shots her a sharp look. “Tapi kamu ngga percaya.”

Cantika could only shrug at that. Ghazul, and in extension, Ganda - they always have something up intheir sleeves. She never knows Ghazul well enough. That man is hard to read, despite being only a couple of years older than her. She doubts she will get the answer she wants from Ghazul, even if she beats him and stabs him with her surgical knives.

The three of them waits in dejected silence.

It’s possible that Bapak got caught in an accident and, Cantika shudders at that, died. But her father is stronger than that. He has endured a lifetime of torture and he still stands tall, despite his badly disfigured form. Accident, it is. Also, Bapak never leaves his things. He is very meticulous and ridiculously perfectionist - everywhere he goes, his stuffs go with him. Especially his phone and wristwatch.

“Pak Ridwan tadi ngga bilang ‘kan, kalau cincin Bapak ketinggalan?” Cantika startles at the sudden inquiry from Adi and she feels her brain stutters to a stop.

The ring is a family heirloom. Bapak always, _always_, wears it. He often left his phone home or wristwatch home, because he said he doesn’t need them. But _never_ the ring. To honor his family and ancestors, he said. He had made something for the ten of them, Cantika remembers, ‘to honor the family’.

At the same time, Ridwan hurries in with an unreadable look on his face. He slides his phone on the table, where it shows clothes. The exact same outfits Bapak wore when he went to the office. Only Cantika saw Bapak when he was about to depart, a fond smile lighting up his face. He had a hand on her head, patting gently, before he got into the car. She remembers - the color is Bapak’s favorite shade of green. It reminds her of a forest - deep green, nearly black - and the outer is made of velvet.

“Itu - itu baju Bapak.” Every words are a struggle. Her throat closes up in fear and rage and when she glances up, Ridwan’s expression is a mirror to hers. “Kok -?” Tanto and Adi are leaning against her, face already morphing into horror.

Apparently, that is what Ridwan needs because he suddenly gestures them to stand up as he hurries to his bedroom. He emerges with a cap and something bundled in black, and he repeats the gesture again as he heads to the door.

“Ada yang kirim pakaian bapak kalian ke kantor,” he starts, voice tight but his form is unwavering as they rush to the stairs. “Sepertinya berhubungan sama peraturan yang diloloskan bapak kalian. Bikin banyak orang marah. Yang culik bapak kalian minta ganti rugi karena kami sudah bikin dia kehilangan pekerjaannya.”

_Kidnapped_. Bapak is kidnapped. The thought doesn’t sit well with Cantika. Upon closer inspection, she realizes that the bundle Ridwan is carrying is a rifle, wrapped in a black cloth.

“Bapak mau ke mana?” It’s Adi who’s asking, eyeing the rifle warily. Ridwan waves him off as they arrive at the parking lot of the apartment, heading straight to his car.

“Mau jemput bapak kalian ‘lah, mau ngapain lagi.” His face is a carefully concealed mask. Though there is a smile on his face, but his eyes are blazing.

“Kami mau ikut,” the three of them chorus. What Ridwan doesn’t know is they are well-prepared. Cantika has several knives up her sleeves, literally, and more knives strapped to her thighs. Tanto brought his newly crafted blade in his pack. And Adi... he always carries knives, multiple, everywhere he goes. His violin case is even equipped with a retractable knife, not to mention his bow.

Ridwan stares at them. Cantika couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes at his expression.

“Kami tahu Bapak punya banyak musuh. Bapak sendiri yang minta kita belajar bela diri.” With a flourish, she brandishes her scalpel and surgical knives, lining up in a strap on her arm. Tanto shows the man his blade and Adi only scowls at the man.

Ridwan only stares at them some more. Cantika meets his gaze defiantly, not letting herself being bossed around by a stranger.

Finally, he relents. “Ayo,” is the only thing he says as he opens the door of his car.

.&.

The ride to wherever they’re going is terse. There is a sort of tension between them, one that Tanto can’t just bat away.

The tires screech as Ridwan takes a sharp right turn, causing Tanto to tighten his grip on handle above his head. “Apa hubungan Bapak sama bapak kami?” He hears Cantika from behind him, but he finds himself unable to look away from the man he’s sitting next to.

Ridwan chuckles at that, though the tension hasn’t dissipate in the slightest. “Teman kerja. Memang apa lagi?”

“Kenapa Bapak mau repot-repot bantuin kami?” This time, it’s Adi and all his scowling glory. Tanto surpresses the urge to roll his eyes at him. Adi has always had a hard time controlling his emotions.

The man next to him is quiet for a moment, thoughtfulness sliding into his face again. “Karena dia teman saya,” he finally finishes with a small smile. Fond, that’s what Tanto’s first thought. He’s fond of Bapak and he guesses they have something _more_ between them. He’s going to ask Cantika for that. Behind him, Cantika makes a noise in surprise, possibly figuring out already. She’s always the smart one between them.

“Saya sudah minta bantuan. Akan ada beberapa tim yang _stand-by_ di lokasi,” Ridwan says to no one in particular, but Tanto perks up at his words. “Kalau saya minta kalian pergi, kalian pergi.”

Sensing the incoming flurry of protests from the three of them, Ridwan just raises his hand. “Saya ngga mau kalian kenapa-kenapa.” His voice is low, tired. “Bapak kalian pasti juga ngga mau kalian terluka.”

It’s a manipulation, Tanto realizes. As he meets Cantika’s gaze from the rear view mirror, he gives her a shrug. They are not backing down from this - they have to save Bapak. Tanto guesses there will be blood, considering Adi’s gruesome tendencies. Cantika is not much better than him, too.

This is going to end badly. Probably with several weeks worth of detention from Bapak. But it’s fine. It’s for Bapak.

.&.

Of course it’s an abandoned building. It’s always an abandoned building.

There are several cars outside, not police cars, because they’re not stupid. But the commotion is big, big enough to alert the kidnappers.

They won’t kill Bapak. Cantika is optimistic, but she’s also a realist. Bapak is their bargaining chip, the key to get their money. Bapak is much too useful for them.

The three of them sneaks in quietly behind Ridwan, who has brandished his sleek rifle. He’s tense, eyes wary, but his steps are silent. Professional, Cantika muses internally, watching the way slinks inside. He was probably in a special-ops team before he joined the parliament. Her knuckles are white around her knife, palms starting to sweat.

She feels Tanto and Adi beside her, rather than seeing them. They are quiet, rage and fear kindling into one and bleeds into their movements. Tanto has his hand on a slim blade, akin to a sword and Adi is holding a basic knife. Cantika knows they will be okay. But Bapak...

There is a quiet sound in the middle of the building. A noise bitten off, wounded. Cantika feels Ridwan tenses in front of her and her grips tightens around her knives. What greets them causes Cantika’s eyes to grow wide in terror.

It’s Bapak, tied to a chair. The rope and knots that bind him is clearly not a professional work - it’s hastily done and haphazardly thrown around him. He is stripped to his undershirt and pants, dried blood matting his face. Bapak’s shirt is stained with blood and there are open gashes on his thighs and arms. Bruises have started to bloom on his face, obscured from view because his head is lolling down. He looks halfway unconscious, the visible part of his face is contorted with pain.

Fury rages inside Cantika. Behind her, Adi makes as if he’s about to surge forward, but Tanto’s quiet jab to his side forces him to stay still. She feels her hands tremble. She’s not sure whether it’s anger or fear.

She catches a flicker of body behind the pillars up ahead them. In front of her, Ridwan makes a quiet sound in rage and aims his rifle ahead, eyes darting around. Cantika motions her brothers to go on each sides of the building - not too close but not too far. They can hold their own. Quickly, she sweeps past Ridwan and heads straight to Bapak. Leaving her back open and it’s stupid, so stupid to trust Ridwan when she doesn’t know his intentions with Bapak but she has no other choice.

Her hands deftly cut the ropes around Bapak and in several seconds, she has Bapak in her arms. He’s too heavy for Cantika to carry, but Ridwan is next to her and he already has Bapak up, carefully bringing him up. Ridwan is not a big man, but Cantika is sure he’s strong enough to carry Bapak out. For now, she’s standing back-to-back against Ridwan, her eyes sharp as she scans her surroundings.

She twitches, something passes on her peripheral vision and it’s muscle memory to throw her scalpel with deadly precision. A body falls, pained groan can be heard from the corner.

“Pak Ridwan, cepat, cepat.” Cantika urges the man to quickly bring Bapak out. There are flurry motions as Tanto and Adi join them. Their shirts are splattered with blood and Adi looks viciously satisfied. Cantika is not about to ask, she knows him well enough. Their knives, however, are clean. As if they just scrubbed them clean.

It’s anti-climactic, Cantika concludes. She half expected that there would be many heroic moments of Ridwan saving Bapak, or her and her siblings throwing themselves on the kidnappers. Tanto and Adi definitely did, but they promised they killed no one. They left the kidnappers tied on one of the pillars, leaving them for the police to find. The kidnappers are alive, at least. Cantika wants to run her scalpel into their eyes. Bapak is safe.

There is an ambulance outside the building. Bapak is carefully loaded into the stretcher, gashes and wounds carefully bandaged. Cantika has Bapak’s hand in hers, fingers gripping tight. Bapak is never one for sentimentality, but the way he’s gripping her hand equally tight, she thinks it can be forgiven. Just this once. Her breath leaves her in a shudder and she scrubs a hand over her face, feeling tears prickling her eyes.

“Kenapa nangis?” Bapak’s hoarse voice calls out from where he’s strapped to the stretchers. He’s not allowed to move, much to his chagrin. He could pull the wounds open and considering Bapak, he would.

Cantika shakes her head, feeling her throat closes up. “Desti dan Mutiara nanyain Bapak terus dari kemarin,” she says instead, side-stepping the question neatly. “Mereka kangen.” _Aku khawatir_.

Bapak just offers her an indulgent smile, giving her hand a squeeze. “Bapak minta maaf sudah bikin kalian khawatir.” As if he stares through Cantika and that what makes it hard to skitters around Bapak. He knows.

“Besok Bapak cari _bodyguard_. Nanti biar Cantika yang milihin.” Maybe Kak Kamal and Kak Sam could help. Swarabatin too. They are even more protective of Bapak.

Bapak only smiles and lets himself be carried into the ambulance. Ridwan walks past Cantika, giving her a look that’s borderline sympathetic. “Kamu pulang, bersih-bersih. Bawa saudara-saudara kamu ke rumah sakit. Kita ketemu di sana, biar saya yang temani Haedar.” With a small pat on her shoulder, he gets into the ambulance.

Cantika stands still and watches the ambulance drive into a distance. Behind her, Adi and Tanto are watching her warily. They are cleared from any injuries, claiming the blood on their shirts came from self-defense against the captors.

“Ayo, ke rumah sakit. Nanti aku kabarin Kanigara biar dia bawa Desti dan Mutiara ke rumah sakit biar bisa lihat Bapak.” And send messages to her other siblings, too. They would want to know what happened - their Whatsapp chat room is too quiet today.

Her shoulder is still tingling by the time they drive to the hospital. She doesn’t know whether to trust Ridwan Bahri or not. She caught a glimpse of his hand on Bapak’s as the door closed - they were holding each other’s hands. Maybe there are more to them than what they show.

.&.

When Desti and Mutiara arrive, it’s with high-pitched cries. Kanigara just stands on the doorway, watching the girls throwing themselves at Bapak with exasperation on his face. His eyes are alight with relief and Cantika gives him a soft smile.

Cantika has just returned from ushering her siblings to the hospital canteen - they haven’t had anything to eat and Kanigara isn’t exactly a great cook. Desti and Mutiara only wanted to eat her cooking so they’d rather starve than eating Kanigara’s food. As she approaches Bapak’s room, she sees that the door is closed. And there are voices inside. Multiple. She has a gist of who’s inside the room but she couldn’t help but inches close and presses her ears against the door.

“- bikin saya khawatir.” It’s Ridwan Bahri. Again. “Anak-anak kamu juga khawatir,” he continues, but his voice is muffled.

“Maaf. Lain kali saya bakal lebih hati-hati,” Bapak says or more like sighs. His voice is also muffled.

Curiosity gets her and she pushes the door open a little, careful to not make any noise that could alert them. Cantika peeks from the gap and feels her eyes widen in surprise.

Ridwan’s head is nestled on Bapak’s sternum, face completely buried on the hospital gown. Bapak has his lips pressed against Ridwan’s temple, eyes impossibly fond as he glances down. No wonder their voices are muffled.

“Cantika udah nyuruh saya buat cari _bodyguard_. Nanti kamu bantuin dia pilih _bodyguard_ yang cocok buat saya, ya?”

Ridwan only answers with a tired chuckle and he slowly pushes his head up. His hand, Cantika notices, is holding Bapak’s.

“Anak-anak kamu gedor-gedor pintu saya waktu saya masih tidur.” Ridwan shakes his head, more in amusement rather than in exasperation. “Kayanya tadi saya lihat dia melempar pisau bedahnya ke penculik kamu. Belum lagi anak-anak kamu yang cowok. Ganas.”

Bapak’s chuckle causes Cantika’s heart to swell with happiness. It’s been a while since Bapak laughed like that.

“Nanti anak-anak kamu saya suruh tidur di hotel dekat rumah sakit aja. Dari pada tidur di kamar kamu, ngga ada kasur,” Ridwan heaves a sigh as he stands up, untangling his hand from Bapak’s. “Pasti mereka ngga mau jauh-jauh dari kamu.” Another breath and he bends down to place a kiss on Bapak’s forehead.

Huh.

Bapak just stares at him, eyes already heavy with sleep.

“Temani saya?” is his only reply, voice muddled with sleep.

Ridwan smiles at him, only watches as Bapak’s eyelids drooping close. “Saya akan di sini sampai kamu nyuruh saya pergi.” And with that, he presses another kiss on Bapak’s forehead and down his scared cheek, before he heads to the door.

Cantika scrambles to sit down on a chair outside the room, trying to collect her composure and her head turns as Ridwan steps out of the room. He smiles at Cantika, too knowing and fond. There is a faint flush up on his cheeks.

“Kamu dan adik-adik kamu tidur di hotel di sebelah rumah sakit, ya? Biar saya yang temani Haedar.”

She nods her head, still watching him with wide eyes - unsure of what to do. Ridwan nods at her before he makes his way to the toilet.

“Pak Ridwan.” Her quiet voice makes Ridwan stops on his track and he turns around, shooting Cantika a patient look.

“Terima kasih, Pak. Tolong jaga Bapak saya, ya.”

Her words startle a laugh from Ridwan and he stares at Cantika with equally wide eyes, surprised. He nods his head, lips forming a wide smile.

“Tenang saja, saya akan jagain Haedar. Besok kita carikan bapak kamu _bodyguard_, ya.” With one last nod of his head, he spins around and continues to head to the toilet.

She sighs and heads to Bapak’s room to watch over him. His usually stoic face is relaxed, as if sleeping takes 20 years off of him. He looks peaceful.

Remembering Ridwan’s words earlier, well... Cantika could only hope they’re good for each other.

**Author's Note:**

> more fanfiction, yay! will i make this "one-fanfic-per-day" into a personal project? probably. no one knows.
> 
> anyway, if you haven't followed me on my twitter, i'm under the same handle (@toughcatto). please follow me. i have like, 15 followers or sumn. i need friends.
> 
> i hope you like the story!


End file.
